The Prom, Chapter seven
Chapter seven of The Prom. This chapter is a modified version of Daring Dan's "Innocents Aboard". Story Morning arrives and Kit awakens. He could hear Ramón gently breath close by, and could feel the warmth from the scamp on him. He lay still, eyes closed for several minutes. As wakefulness returned he felt a twinge of pain in his side: a dull ache, but it was enough to jerk his mind back to the events of hours earlier, and he began to breathe quickly and felt frightened, just from the memory of it. He lay still, trying to relax, telling himself that it was all over, he'd survived it. He blinked his eyes to openness gradually, squinting from the bright sunshine in the bedroom. He was resting with Ramon on his belly, and the scamp's arms were draped underneath Kit's, hugging his torso. A few details of the previous night's ordeal crept back to him, but all that really stood out was blinding, searing pain, tears, and his family's presence next to him. It felt like a nightmare, but the memory of the pain, and of everyone's presence, was sharp and clear. Slowly, gently, he extricated himself from the weary scamp. His mind felt sharp: sharper than it had felt for days maybe. His body was sore, and his muscles ached, but he was awake and alert. He looked down at Ramon, even in sleep looking exhausted. Kit swallowed and winced, his mouth felt dry and sour. He looked over at the clock, which read nine-thirty A.M. He gently slid his feet off the bed and onto the floor, and pushed himself upright, grunting with the effort. He started to slide slowly across towards the cane. Ramon stirred, heightened senses awakened by the teen's efforts. "Kit...what are you doing?!" he protested sleepily, "nothing Ramon, go back to sleep" Kit said not wanting to turn, "I'm just gonna go brush my teeth-" he adds, "no dice!" Ramon said sharply, fully awake now, he rolled out of bed and walks off, "wait here" he orders, "Ramon! I gotta walk sometime-" Kit protested sheepishly, "stay here!" Ramon repeats more strongly and walks out the door, he wasn't gone for long, Rebecca bumped into him with the intent to check on Kit, and when Ramon filled her in they walk into the room, "morning Kit, I hear you're hoping to brush your teeth" she notes, "morning Ms. Cunningham, and yes, but Ramon won't let me" Kit replies, "that's understandable" she remarks and walks to Kit and tries to get her shoulders underneath one of his arms, "what are you doing?" Kit wonders, "put your arm over me, I'll walk you to the bathroom" she states, "but I-" Kit began but stops when Rebecca gave a stern-face, with a sigh the teen wrapped his right-arm around the lady's neck, and Rebecca lifted him, using exaggerated care to support the adolescent's weight and exert no pressure on his stitches, she walked him out of his room to the bathroom, over to the sink and set him down gently, Kit grabbed the basin for support as the bear-woman stood expectantly by, "I think I can handle this part myself" Kit said pointedly, and Rebecca grudgingly walked away and leaned against the wall outside as the teenager gingerly brushed his teeth, Rebecca and Ramon watched him, noticing that the teen-bear was noticeably thinner from his ordeal: he looked weak and frail, even more so than he normally did to them, who encouraged him to eat heartily every chance he got, but the boy's cheeks were ruddy, and his eyes were brighter than they'd been since before the illness, Kit rinsed his mouth out and splashed water on his face, then reached for a towel and dried himself, "all set" he said, feeling rather silly and helpless, Rebecca walks in while Ramon had gone back to their room and propped up the pillows on Kit's bed, Rebecca walked over to Kit, bending her head down again so the teen could lay an arm on her shoulders, she walks him back to his room where Ramon had just finished readying the bed, and both walk him over to the bed and gently set him down in a half-sitting position, "how'd you get in my bed last night?" he asked Ramon who smiles, "well, you were pretty...well-" Ramon chose his words carefully, not wanting to embarrass Kit, "I didn't want you to wake up an' be alone" he stammers, "with that pill in me I could've slept through a thunderstorm" Kit giggled softly, so did Rebecca, "yeah...well, I didn't wanna take any chances, incase another wave of pain happened" Ramon said looking away, Kit stared at Ramon for a moment, "thanks" he whispered holding out his arms, Ramon needed no explanation: he climbs onto Kit and they hugged, for several moments, "I, I..." Kit stammers "I know, me too" Ramon whispered, "now!" Rebecca said loudly, keeping her emotions in check, "you hungry sweetie?" she asks Kit who grinned, "actually...I'm famished!" he states: it was true, for the first time that he could remember in days he had a real appetite, Rebecca's face lit up, "great! I got some pancake mix downstairs, how's flapjacks and fried potatoes sound?" she proposed, "great! oh and some water too? please?" Kit requests, Rebecca chuckled shaking her head, "Ok" she answers, "thanks Ms. Cunningham! how 'bout some music while you're cooking?" Kit beamed, "sure" Rebecca replied and headed for the door, but paused in the doorway, "you sure you're gonna be OK while I'm downstairs?" she wonders, "I'll be with him" Ramon interjected, "guys, I'm fine" Kit replied slipping the last known copy of 'I Got Them Flat Broke, Sticky Shoes, No Banana Boogie-Woogie Blues' on the gramophone, also lowering the volume so as not to annoy her, "oh do you have play that one?" Rebecca whines, she never liked Baloo's favorite song, "I don't think it's bad Ms. Rebecca" Ramon shrugged, and actually started to like it, Rebecca couldn't resist smiling at the scamp's silly-dancing, "whatever you say Ramon, whatever you say" she humors and left to the kitchen, Kit grinned and leaned back, arms behind his head while watching Ramon's attempts at dancing to the song. Right now he felt like nothing in the world could hurt him, amazing the impact so many people could have on your life! Later in the day everyone else woke up. Ramon and Kit were playing go-fish. "Fives?" Ramon asked, "go fish!" Kit giggled as Ramon picked a card up off the bed, "do you have any sevens?" he asks, Ramon sighed and extracted two cards, "I dunno why I even play cards, I never win..." he complains, "halloo!" Ernie's voiced called from downstairs, barely audible over the record on the gramophone, Kit reached over and turned down the volume, "hey Ernie, Kit's upstairs!" Baloo replies, but the hyena and co were already on their way up the stairs, "of course he's up here, where else would he be in his current state?" he asked Baloo sarcastically as he entered the room, the other Jungle-Aces and Molly right behind him, Ernie sat next to Ramon on Kit's bed and messes with his hair, who bats him away playfully, "hey Kit! we missed you yesterday!" Ernie expressed to his friend, "hey guys, I won't be able to go to school, let alone the prom, for a few weeks" Kit answered with a pitiful-smile, "and how's my baby-sitter today?" he asks Molly humorously, "fine Kit!" Molly beamed, "are you still sick?" Oscar wonders, "sick? they just cut me open three days ago Oscar!" Kit chuckled, "ew! that's gross!" Sam groaned screwing up his face, the other boys grimaced as well, "sorry" Kit apologized, "I'm doing fine now that it's out of my system, but I won't be hanging-out or attending any Jungle-Ace meetings with you for a while" he adds lamentingly, "that's OK, just so you get better" Felix said, the others began tickling him teasingly, and Molly reached over at Kit, but her mother stopped her, "uh-uh Molly! no tickling Kit: you're lucky he won't pop any of his stitches since they're made from horseshoe-crab-skeletons" she admonished, "awe I'm not that ticklish!" Kit protested, "I'm serious Molly" Rebecca repeated, "OK I get it" Molly grumbled, "good, and that goes for you guys too" she advised, "got it" the Jungle-Aces obey, "now Baloo, what about the schedule today? do you want to fly, or not?" she asks Baloo, "yes!" Kit replied, "no!" Baloo answered simultaneously, "after what happened last night...well, never mind, there's no way I'm leaving Lil-Britches all day today Becky, if he's feeling good I'll fly tomorrow" the pilot said meeting Becky's eyes for a moment, "but Baloo-" Kit protested, "but nothing! this bear's grounded today, OK Kit?" Baloo said firmly arms crossed, "OK" Kit acquiesced: secretly he didn't want the big bear to leave anyway, though he'd never admit it, "that's fine, we don't have anything that can't wait until tomorrow, but I guess I'll have to put Riven in charge of the Sea Duck, we'll still need to talk about the schedule though, come on downstairs and we'll take a look at it" Rebecca said, "kid?" Baloo said looking at Kit, "I'm fine! go ahead, don't worry" Kit frowned, "OK, I'll be back in a few minutes" he answered, and walks off, "don't you boys rough up Kit while we're gone, okay! he's still very weak, understand?" Rebecca advised, "yes mam" they replied like soldiers (which technically they are), "oh yeah about the prom, it got canceled" Oscar suddenly informs, "it is?" Rebecca gasped, "yeah after we heard Kit was infected with appendicitis they postponed the prom for a few weeks" Oscar says, they still had a lot of scary thoughts from the news about their friend, and their normal exuberance was tempered by relief at seeing said-friend smiling and happy, however they were getting gnawed by what Baloo said about last night, and they actually fallow the adults out. Once Baloo and Rebecca were downstairs she noticed the Jungle-Aces fallowing. "What is it boys?" she wonders, "did something happen last night? you're obviously shaken up..." Ernie notes, the big grey bear collapsed into the easy chair wearily, his façade of nonchalance gone now that Kit was out of earshot, "you don't know the half of it boys: last night was the worst night o' our lives, and we've each had some rotten ones, believe me" he explains, "oh boy what happened? Kit seems fine-" Sam exclaimed, "he's OK now" the pilot sighed running a hand over his eyes, "and all of you: don't tell him I told you this, 'cause I know he'd be embarrassed, but Lil-Britches had a terrible night last night, jus' terrible" Baloo says, "what happened?" Felix wondered sitting on the arm of the chair, the adults took a deep breath, Riven was also present, "well, he started out OK: he didn't eat much, but that was normal after recovering from appendicitis...he took his pill an' went to sleep about eight I guess, Baloo and Ramon kinda watched him for a while, but in the dead of night, it took a turn for the worst: we all were woken up, at about two o'clock in the morning, by Ramon, and when we walked in their room Kit was...he was...it was real bad boys" Rebecca explained, "what?" Bert whispered, Baloo covered his face and Rebecca struggled to answer, so Riven takes over, "he was in terrible pain: the doctor said he would undergo a phase of extreme pain after being cured by the deadly disease, but we didn't think it would happen so soon, he was so affected he couldn't even breathe right, it was hurting him so bad, he jus' kept saying 'It hurts!' over an' over, and he was even crying from it" he described, "whoa!" Oscar gasped just imagining it, but stops as it made him shiver, "egad...what did you do?" Ernie asked, the pilot took a deep breath and spoke, choking back emotion, "I, I gave him another pill, but it didn't work right away, we all went over to him, an' we just cuddled him, real hard, he was shivering too: like he was freezing, he kept saying 'it hurts, it's terrible!', he was shivering and crying, and he was white as a ghost, from the pain..." the big bear sobbed overcome by the memory, "we just cuddled him real hard kiddoes, hard as we each could, that's all we could do..." he adds, Ernie was crying a bit himself from listening: it was just so tormenting to him to see his friend go through something like that, even more when he heard Kit had lost his parents when he was so young that he wouldn't be able to know them and be forced to take care of himself in such a cruel world full of misery, they saw the strong figure of Baloo before them overcome by pain, Ernie squeezed his arm in both his paws, "I'm so sorry Baloo, I'm so sorry...I've never had to go through anything like that, none of us did, I don't know what to say" he expressed, the fat-bear composed himself and a look of resolution, even anger crossed his face, "I ain't never been through anything like that, never, never, all I wanted ta do was take that pain away, I wanted that pain, I wanted it in me, so Kit wouldn't have to go through it, but I, I couldn't, all we could do is comfort him, an' it was like he was a thousand miles away, even though he was right there, that look on his face..." Baloo described and covered his eyes again, "it's the worst thing any of us ever felt boys, I ain't never felt so useless" he adds, "but, he got through it Baloo, he's up there smiling and happy right now, because of you-" Ernie began, "I'll tell you something Ernie: it really cleared things up for me, I ain't never letting nothing happen to Kit as long as I'm alive, I'm gonna be with him, protecting him, all the time, all the other stuff, it ain't important to me, no more, all that stuff's outa my hands and it don't matter anyhow, but I'm making sure Kit's safe, and he never has ta go through another night like that again" Baloo asserted, "oh Baloo, you know that you can't be there every second, I know you love Kit like a son and all, and you want to protect him like a father would, but you have to let him live his life too-" Sam said sympathetically, "never again, not as long as I'm alive, I know what's important" Baloo said resolutely, Riven patted his arm, "alright Baloo, it sounds like I'm gonna have to handle the cargo-runs on my own, for a little while-" he guessed, but Baloo shook his head, "don't do that Riven, I think the worst is over, I just kinda sense it somehow, last night was...well, it was what it was, but I think Kit's over the hump now, I gotta fly sooner or later, so tomorrow's as good a day as any, I just wanna be with the kid today, all day, besides," he began, "I trust Kit with you, all of you, he loves you, you'll take care of him, I just, I just couldn't leave him today guys" he finished, everyone else look at each other completely touched, "we understand" Rebecca sighed, "alright, you fly tomorrow, Riven will fly today, now, why don't you go back up there and be with your so-called son, I know you want to! I'll make you boys some lunch in a couple of hours" she suggested, "thanks Beckers, you're alright" Baloo expressed sprinting back up the stairs. Stay tuned for The Prom, Chapter eight Gallery Category:Fanon for the talespin series Category:Fan fiction